Sunday, November 30, 2008

Further Details:Image Entertainment has announced DVD ($27.98) and Blu-ray ($35.98) releases of My Name is Bruce which stars Bruce Campbell and Ted Raimi. The film (also directed by Campbell) will be available to own from the 10th February. Extras will include a commentary by director Bruce Campbell and producer Mike Richardson, a Heart of Darkness: The Making of My Name is Bruce documentary, featurettes (Beyond Inside the Cave: The Making of Cavealien 2, The Real Bruce Campbell, Kif's Komer, Awkward Moments with Kif, Bruce on...), photo galleries (poster art, props), and trailers. The DVD and Blu-ray releases will also include a 24-page collectible comic book.

Friday, November 28, 2008

You see that Bruce Campbell often returns value for money. And in that spirit, I welcome his first work as a director since "The Man With the Screaming Brain" (2005). Here he plays himself in a lampoon of his career, his movies, his genres and everything else he stands for. Maybe it's only "one-note insider navel-gazing," writes one of its critics, but if the navel has been there, done that and had unspeakable horrors wreaked onto it, the navel has paid its dues.

Up for bids is a very rare bust of a Deadite from Evil Dead. The Bust is made of Latex Rubber and Soft Foam and measures about 12" tall and 12" wide. The item comes prepared as seen in the photos and comes with the wig. Shipping in the U.S. is $12.50. International Shipping is $25.00 to $40.00.

Q Here's a genre question: Monster movies in the woods demand at least one topless scene. Why no nudity in "My Name Is Bruce"?

A The funny thing is, those things have always made me uncomfortable, because I've always had to deal with the actresses on the set. And it always sucks. You can never explain why you want them to show their boobs. There's never a good reason. It never really adds anything, except for a few nervous titters in the audience.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Hi. Here in Fresno, CA we have our very own sweded film festival (swedes are no-budget recreations of movies, made popular by the film "Be Kind Rewind."). Anyway, our 2nd festival was on Saturday and I decided to swede the trailer for "Army of Darkness." Just thought you might be interested in checking it out: http://tinyurl.com/aodswede

Here's the new cover for the Army of Darkness Holiday Special "Home For the Hellidays". Somehow the first cover I did was lost. I don't have it, the guys at Dynamite don't have it. It's a complete mystery. I could have just re-created the first cover to replace it, but having just finished drawing the story I now had a better concept, the culmination of which you see above.I think it all worked out well in the end.

BE: One more “Evil Dead” question, and I swear I’ll let it die, but I was curious as to which ending of “Army of Darkness” that you preferred, since the original ending was eventually released on DVD?

BC: Well, I always prefer the original filmmaker’s ending. And again, whether it’s good or bad, Sam Raimi had intended a certain ending, he shot a certain ending which was ass-cosmically screwed… because, way back when in the original series, “Evil Dead 4” was going to be Ash versus the robots. Which would be awesome, because it would be like Spartacus versus the robots, where he’s enslaved by the robots in this crumbling, post-apocalyptic civilization. So, there was something else going on other than just a twist ending.

So you’re not a collector at all?[Campbell] It’s weird—my brother has a sawed-off shotgun from Evil Dead, but just because he likes guns. It has just never occurred to me to save anything.

That would probably enrage a lot of Evil Dead fans to know that your brother has that gun, but just because he likes guns.

[Campbell] And only because he likes guns. He doesn’t give a shit about the movie. My feeling is, collectibles should be in the hands of the people who really want them. I have a buddy of mine that I send stuff to that I should normally be keeping, because I know he’ll inventory it, keep it safe, always know where it is…

Me: Could there even be an Evil Dead 4 if a remake hit screens first? Has that ever happened before, a sequel after a remake?BC: I would not be surprised if neither of them got made. But it’s only because Sam is making another Spider-Man movie, he’s got five kids, I’m under contract with this TV show for five years, so I’m not going anywhere for a while and neither is Sam. So it’s just a reality of life. It’s not any more complicated than that. We’ve just both gotten involved with a bunch of other things, and sometimes it takes away from the old stuff you used to work on.

Hostess Peaches Christ is thrilled to announce that a great, big, B-movie dream of hers is about to come true! One night only on Wednesday, December 17th, at San Francisco’s Landmark Bridge Theatre, Peaches will present—not just once, but twice at 7:00PM and 9:40PM—a Midnight Mass produced stage-show featuring cult film icon and genre superstar Bruce Cambell live and in-person. Peaches has been dying to honor Bruce Campbell—as she says “forEVER”—and is putting together this San Franciscan evening of Idol Worship, preceding the Bay Area premiere of Bruce Campbell’s directorial debut My Name Is Bruce. Tickets are $10.50 and can be purchased here.

At the just-concluded American Film Market in Santa Monica, Fango caught a screening of two over-the-top scenes from DRAG ME TO HELL, Sam Raimi’s eagerly awaited return to screen terror, which opens on May 29 from Universal. From what we watched, DRAG ME TO HELL, which stars Alison (BEOWULF) Lohman, Justin (JEEPERS CREEPERS) Long, Sage (THE MANSON FAMILY) Stallone, Jessica (CLOVERFIELD) Lucas and David (MIGHTY JOE YOUNG) Paymer, features the same mix of horror and humor that Raimi mined so well in his EVIL DEAD trilogy.

Clip #1 takes place in a deserted parking garage. The heroine, Christine (Lohman), is trapped inside her car, while a cackling gypsy woman (Bonnie Aarons) assaults her from the back seat. Christine slams on the accelerator and sends the old hag flying over the front seat, slamming her face-first into the dashboard and knocking out the crone’s dentures (!). At this point, said crone attempts to gum the terrorized girl to death (!!). When this attack proves ineffective, the gypsy lady pops the teeth back in, prompting Christine to hit the peDal again, crashing the car into a parked vehicle, which then sends the originator of the film’s curse flying out of the car. Locking the doors, Christine breathes a sigh of relief. But her feelings of peace and safety are rudely interrupted when the gypsy shows up with a large piece of concrete and starts smashing at the passenger window!

Clip #2: In this bit, Christine and beau Clay (Long) are lying peacefully in bed. Christine suddenly awakes to find the crazed gypsy woman on top of her, eye to eye. Before Christine can scream, the villainess opens her mouth and vomits forth gallons of maggots and puke into the face of the startled heroine.

If the above doesn’t whet your appetite for DRAG ME TO HELL, how about news that genre fave Ted Raimi (Sam and co-writer Ivan’s younger bro) is also in the cast? Ted has appeared in most of Sam’s films and productions, including EVIL DEAD II, where he played the Henrietta demon, as well as the SPIDER-MAN trilogy, DARKMAN, THE GRUDGE and TV’s HERCULES and XENA; his other credits include CANDYMAN, MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN, THE ATTIC EXPEDITIONS, THE MAN WITH THE SCREAMING BRAIN, MY NAME IS BRUCE and last week’s SUPERNATURAL episode.

“DRAG ME TO HELL is a good, old-fashioned thriller,” Ted told FANGORIA RADIO last week. “It has the feel of an old Hammer film. I play a doctor who looks after the lead starlet, and I have a scene with Justin Long.”

For more on DRAG ME TO HELL, keep your peepers on FANGORIA magazine and this site.

I posted this at another forum (dvdcollectorsonline.com) after talking about it during our month long horror marathon... and thought I would share it here as well...

As I said during our month long horror marathon... when I bought the Evil Dead: Book of the Dead release there was a leaflet in there asking us to go to a page on the Anchor Bay website to take a survey about what we thought of the release. I was a bit bored a couple days after I got the release... so figured what the hell and went to take the survey. After the survey there was a message saying Thank you for taking the survey... you have been entered in our drawing. I pretty much just thought... yeah... ok... and forgot about it.

About a month to a month and a half later my mother called me at work saying that a huge package was delivered to me. Asking me what I ordered now. I told her I wasn't expecting anything but would check it out when I got home. From that point on I was watching the clock at work.

When I got home the first thing I did was detach the letter that was attached to the box. And read that it was from Anchor Bay saying that I won the grand prize of their drawing. Needless to say I was really excited and couldn't wait to open the package And it turned out to be a wall hanging of the artwork of the Book of the Dead and Autographs of all the stars as well as the artist that designed the Book of the Dead. It went on to say that there is only 26 in existence... and that most of those went to cast and crew... that only 5 went out as grand prizes. You can see on the top right hand corner of Tom Sullivan's autograph that I got #5 of the 26.

Here is a close-up picture of what I won that a couple of you asked for.

"I am touring like Jerry Lee Lewis," the strong-jawed B-movie icon says over the phone. "Doing 22 cities between now and mid-December by car."

The occasion for all this travel is Campbell's latest movie, "My Name Is Bruce." He not only stars in it -- playing Bruce Campbell -- but he also directed it. And now he's going town to town introducing it at special shows.

That's also what he'll be doing at the Main Art Theatre in Royal Oak on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, in shows that have special significance since he was born in that very city.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Q: You’re still getting Evil Dead questions nearly 30 years later...That’s mostly OK. You can’t blame somebody for wanting to know. But I keep trying to talk people out of [doing Evil Dead 4] because, you know — look, what’s the plot of Friday the 13th, Part VI? Does anyone know? No. The more you do, the more convoluted it gets. What are you gonna have, Ash in New York City? You have to always come up with some big, huge idea.

Q: Is it coming up with an idea that you don’t like more than not playing Ash again?

Sequels I’m only gonna be so excited about. Period. Evil Dead was never meant to have a sequel. Ash was killed. Then Crimewave [the next movie he did with director Sam Raimi] died a thousand deaths, and we went, “OK, he’s alive again!” We created the series out of thin air. We couldn’t get the rights to the original movie for recaps, so we reshot it with different actors, and people thought that Ash was dumb enough to go back to the cabin with new friends. “Hey, that last time was so much fun! Come on, let’s go back to the cabin!” You get continuity and logic problems when you create sequels that were never meant to be.

Q: So I’ll skip the Evil Dead 4 questions that I had prepared...The only way to explain it is that Sam [Raimi] has got a couple more movies to make. I’ve got a minimum of a five-year deal with Burn Notice. So it’s just logistics. Honestly, Sam and I have not sat in a room and gone, “Man, we gotta make another one of these movies!” Physically, they’re a nightmare. So I can’t get that excited about something that physically destroys me.

This month, Campbell is trekking across the heartland, meeting his fans and bringing them his latest directorial effort My Name Is Bruce. This a 22-city tour that will be coming to FSR’s virtual home in Columbus, Ohio on November 19, where he will be present for a Q&A session after the 7:45 p.m. and 9:50 p.m. screenings of the film.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

HERE I HAVE THE EVIL DEAD BOOK OF THE DEAD DVD SET.THIS IS THE BOX SET THAT THE UUTER COVER IS MADE OF LATEX TO LOOK LIKE THE SKIN BOUND BOOK IN THE NOW FAMOUS FILM.THE EVIL DEAD OF COURSE IS WELL KNOWN AS BEING ONE OF THE VIDEO NASTIES FROM THE 1984 SCAM.

THE DVD ITSELF IS A US RELEASE SO IT REQUIRES A MULTI REGION PLAYER TO PLAY IN THE UK. (REGION 1 NTSC)

Friday, November 14, 2008

My Name Is Bruce is not a film for general audiences. Filled with endless nods to the Evil Dead movies and other Campbell flicks and some signature Campbell/Raimi tropes like Three Stooges references and a healthy dose of slapstick comedy, this movie is far too self-referential and "inside baseball" to appeal to the casual movie-goer, who is likely to feel left out in the cold. Instead it plays like an homage of sorts to Campbell's legions of fans who are clearly the targeted demographic here.

Halloween night was HUGE at FANGORIA RADIO, and now we've got the show available in tasty little bites for all of you to hear. Bruce Campbell, Lloyd Kaufman, Tura Satana, Steven Weber, and Scott Patterson - all in MP3. Get ready to load those iPods!

HH: Do you enjoy bringing in your friends, such as Ted Raimi and Ellen Sandweiss?

BC: It's a silly thing to say, but I now know who I like to hang around and work with, and associate with, so I just like doing it. Making movies! It makes this fun and relaxed. Many times a movie set can be very tense. I don't really want that.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Considering how rough the last year has been for the independent film industry, how do you see that impacting the type of films that you tend to make? Do you worry that filmmakers with the kind of talent that Sam Raimi had back when he started might not get the opportunity to make their own Evil Dead?

No, you know what? Anyone who's willing to get off their ass can get money to make their movie. Show me a guy that didn't get money to make the movie, I'll show you a slacker. We raised $150,000 in 1979 when it didn't seem possible. The economy was in the shitter then! We did it, we made it happen. It just depends on whether today's filmmakers are willing to devote a minimum of four to five years making your first movie. But I think most importantly, filmmakers today should just learn their craft before they run out and make a feature film. Just figure out where to put the freakin' camera! Figure out how to talk to actors. Figure out how to act! Evil Dead was a very crude movie, but even at that point we had made 50 super-8 movies before that. We really tried to figure out how to do this before made our first movie. So I hope filmmakers will learn that more than anything. But it's really just, you've got to work your ass off, and you can find the money.

As Bruce Campbell tours the country with MY NAME IS BRUCE (and seeing it with a packed house and the man himself is a must if you can; see details here), Image Entertainment has announced the specs for the DVD. BRUCE hits disc February 10, as does the Campbell-starring Sci Fi Channel feature TERMINAL INVASION.

Bruce Campbell did 3 Q&A sessions following the viewing of his new movie, "My Name is Bruce," at the Criterion Theater in New Haven. This is a good portion of the session that followed the 8:15 viewing.

BRUCE CAMPBELL DOES NOT LIVE in a beat-up trailer, nor does he drive a rundown hatchback. He is neither newly divorced nor a raging alcoholic. He does not have a contentious relationship with his fans, who in real life may be disappointed that he is not actually filming "Cave Alien II."

The character Bruce Campbell, played by Campbell in his new movie, "My Name Is Bruce,"is an obvious exaggeration. "Idiots are funny,"says Campbell. "As long as idiots get their comeuppance and are punished for being idiots, that, to me, is very entertaining."

So you want Bruce Campbell in your film. You’ve spent many sleepless nights writing the script. You’ve scraped together a budget. And you’re ready to start casting. You think a name like Bruce Campbell is going to help your flick fly off the DVD shelves. Now all you have to do is get him on board.

Well, it might not be as easy as you think. While promoting his tour of My Name Is Bruce, the legendary Mr. Campbell took some time out to speak with Film School Rejects about his career, his favorite films and what it takes to land him in your picture.

Dark Horse Entertainment's Mike Richardson is relishing the modicum of success Bruce Campbell's My Name is Bruce is currently generating. "On one screen we did $18 thousand in New York City. For the three-day weekend, our per screen average was like $16 thousand, it's amazing," the producer says.

The horror-comedy, which finds Campbell playing a distorted version of himself and saving a town from a supernatural threat, is currently touring the U.S. Richardson reveals there are still plans to hatch a sequel and dishes a bit of the plot. "We have an idea where [Bruce] is going to visit a country in Europe and he thinks he's got an all-expense-paid stay there," he explains. "They put him up in a big castle and he thinks there are groupies running around, but they're not really groupies, they're minions. It's Bruce and he's going to play the same clueless character."

Expect Ted Raimi - who plays multiple roles in the first Bruce - to encore, possibly in drag. Says Richardson, "I was on the phone with Ted Raimi telling him I was going to put him in a dress. He said, Great, I'm trying to extend my acting range."

"It's unfortunate about some of the reviews that came out of the press that were by people who don't get [My Name is Bruce] at all," Richardson sighs. "We made this for the fans and for a specific fan, the Bruce fans. I count myself as one. Every Bruce fan we've shown this to has a lot of fun."

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Taped May 4th, 1983. This interview aired on public access t.v. in Roseville, Michigan before Evil Dead premiered in theaters. I was camera operator for this interview and save what may be the only copy of this interview in existance.

The 8th Annual Full Moon Tattoo and Horror FestivalNashville Airport Marriott Hotel.Nashville, TennesseeApril 24 - 26, 2009We're finally going back to the home state of the Evil Dead where we know the fans will be the best ever!

Realistic Army of Darkness chainsaw hand complete with blood splatters. A great prop with sturdy construction for all of your zombie killing needs. A must have for any Bruce Campbell fan. Hail to the king baby.

No one has found the Evil Dead time capsule yet. The time capsule is in a cigar box wrapped with tape. It is buried 3 to 4 feet deep where the trap door was. Items in it are as follows:

A burned out Fresnel light bulb.A piece of "It's Murder!" beam used to beat the character Linda. This is a u-shaped faux beam sold at Home Depot used to decorate a den's ceiling.A piece of gaffer's tape.The code to unlock the "visual meaning" of Evil Dead.

He says to find the time capsule, walk 30 paces across from the fireplace to where the trap door was.

One of the most anticipated genre movie releases of the year is My Name Is Bruce, starring the cult hero (or is that antihero?) Bruce Campbell. Campbell is abducted from his trailer-park home to fight against Guan Di, a Chinese war deity. Thinking it all a joke, although thinking clearly is not one of his strong suits in this picture, Mr. Campbell discovers that it all is real, much to his shock and dismay. Mayhem ensues.

The fully articulated doll is formed from a 3-D scan of Campbell himself. Besides a custom fabric miniature version of his actual Hawaiian shirt, which was loaned to us by Mr. Campbell, proving that he's the kind of partner who would "give you the shirt off his back," an array of movie-specific accessories are included.

Two of these are miniature "angel" and "devil" versions of Mr. Campbell. They attach to his shoulders using hidden magnets. Additionally, we have:

Friday, November 7, 2008

Dealing in many cult classics and icons, Image Entertainment has just added another gem to their release line-up, offering up Bruce Campbell in his very own feature film My Name Is Bruce on DVD and Blu-Ray Disc in February.Something evil is stirring in the small mining town of Gold Lick, and it's not happy. Guan-di, the Chinese protector of the dead with a strange affinity for bean curd, has been awakened by reckless teenagers, and now his bloody crusade to wipe out the town's entire population can only be stopped by one man - Bruce Campbell (the guy who starred in all three Evil Dead movies and Bubba Ho-tep), B-move star and deadbeat ex-husband extraordinaire, who's recruited to be their unwitting savior. Thinking the whole scenario's a publicity prank, Bruce is distracted from his mission by a hot mom and fan boys aplenty-- but when our hero has to face off against a dark force more fearsome than a Hollywood agent, the laughs and screams start flying!Featuring an anamorphic widescreen transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio, the DVD version of “My Name Is Bruce” will also be loaded with extras. First up is a Commentary Trackwith Bruce Campbell and Mike Richardson. In addition, the release will feature a series of Featurettes on a variety of topics, such as “Heart Of Dorkness,” “Awkward Moments With ‘Kif’,” “Bruce On…,” “Beyond Inside The Cave: The Making Of ‘Cavealien 2’,” “‘Kif's’ Korner,” “The Hard Truth,” and “Love Birds.” Then there will be a large Photo Gallery with Poster Art, Props Art and general Photos. Also look for Trailers and some Easter Eggs on the disc.The Blu-Ray version will dish out a 1080p high definition transfer and soup it up with a DTS 5.1 HD Master Audio track. All the extras from the DVD version will be included here also, of course.If you’re a fan of Bruce Campbell and his irreverent sense of humor - and who doesn’t? - make sure to set aside $27.98 for the DVD version and $35.98 for the Blu-Ray version that will come to stores on February 10.

'My Name is Bruce" is a bad movie. It's also a good movie, not in a so-bad-it's-good way, but in a we-know-we-suck-wink-wink way. It's schlock parodying schlock, and it has such clichéd, stupid fun with its schlockiness that leaving the theater without a smile is impossible.

The only bright moment in this film comes, inexplicably, from cameos by Dan Hicks (Evil Dead 2) and Timothy Patrick Quill (Army of Darkness), whose love for their own rolls, and each other, is funny is a super geeky horror movie fan sort of way. That is the beginning and the end of the funny, I assure you. It’s also worth mentioning that Ellen Sandweiss (Evil Dead) makes a quick appearance…and is still hot.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Campbell also got a question about the TERRIFIC and much-missed series The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr, the Fox Network’s clever cult hit. He was asked if the show was ever coming back (question got huge applause from the Ellen Page Juno liberal artsy hipsters in the crowd) , but he replied that the show had aged like “cheap hookers”.

"The character in the movie is basically how I would want to react to fans, not how I really do," says Campbell, who did a "Bruce pass" over Mark Verheiden's script, adding in-jokes for fans and upping the unsavory aspects of his own self-created image. "I get to hide, so if anybody calls me out for being an asshole I just blame it on the character."

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

When you're 60 years old, do you think you'll still be asked when a fourth "Evil Dead" will happen?

You can't help it. If the series is popular, it's just a natural inclination: "When do we get another one?" I don't think there's even a doubt that we won't one day, but Sam Raimi just signed on for part four of "Spider-Man," so it's kind of like, "See you later, alligator." The only time I'll see him is on his own set. Sam brings me in as a wringer to torment Tobey Maguire [in each "Spider-Man"]. But life intervenes, you know? We'll look into it when we get to it. It'll be me as old Ash.

Cinematical: One thing I noticed about My Name is Bruce is that it is full of in-jokes from other movies -- actors from some of the other films --

BC: That was for the fans. I tried to get Evil Dead in there, so Ellen Sandweiss is in there, from the original Evil Dead, she plays my ex-wife. And then a guy from Evil Dead 2, and then a guy from Army of Darkness, and Ted Raimi's always in whatever I do, because that way I look better -- I look like a better actor by putting Ted in it. So yeah, a lot of it is for the fans.

SCI FI Weekly recently spoke with Raimi, Tapert, Regan and Horner. Raimi and Tapert were together on a conference call with reporters, while Regan and Horner took the phone separately for exclusive conversations.

Campbell: Oh, we could keep going. We already have the European version planned.

BD: What’s that one about?

Campbell: It’s Bruce as the ugly American. He’s going to a convention in Europe and then certain circumstances come up where they may have to fight another creature with a bunch of other people who are at the same convention. So you might get more of a bevy of your Robert Englund’s and your Jasons and Freddys and things like that.

We have the money already, but we think it would be a little disingenious to start working on the sequel before the first one came out. That’s why I’m going to tour. I’m going to 22 cities to try to make this work. It’s been a long road, but independent movies take a while and I’m glad we can finally get it in front of people.

Let's hear it for Bruuuuce! (Not, not Springsteen.) Ladies and gentlemen, the fabulous Bruce Campbell debuted at the top of the heap among limited releases, with a per-screen average of $18,800, according to estimates compiled by Box Office Mojo. Opening at one theater in New York, My Name is Bruce features Campbell as both star and director. Campbell's site lists upcoming screenings and appearances by The Man Himself.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

You turned 50 this year, so how is the milestone treating you?Two days after I turned 50 I pulled my hamstring fighting a stuntman. It was perfect, like my expiration date just went. It was totally a Centrum Silver moment, where you go, “Wow, I guess I can't do that crap anymore.” So I went through six weeks of extensive physical therapy, because I'd never really hurt myself doing anything. But it's good — I'm a lot wiser than I was at 30.

I think fans will most enjoy the reverant nature of the film. The movie by jackasses and for jackasses. None of this is taken to seriously here. I have grown men singing in the movie. It is really fan fiction turned upside down. This is as if we took fan fiction and gave it a horror rewrite. If filmgoers walk out with a confused look on their faces I have succeeded.

I work at Best Week With Ever, and Bruce was just in our office this morning filming a bit with host Paul F. Tompkins. It's going to air tonight at 11pm on VH1, so definitely check it out. I was a foot away from the man, and I've never felt to alive.

Hopefully we'll have clips up soon:bestweekeverwithpaul.combestweekever.tv